The Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) is determined to establish a higher education development leadership institute and a career system for state universities and colleges (SUCs) to further enhance the competitiveness of higher education in the country.

In an interview with the Philippines News Agency, Dennis Barnachea, program manager of the Executive Development Program for State Universities and Colleges (EDPS), said these initiatives would help boost the capability of school administrators and faculty in implementing initiatives in reforming the higher education system.

These proposals are also supported by the 92 SUC presidents who completed the Executive Course in Education Management and Leadership which is a component of the EPDS.

According to Barnachea, the establishment of a higher education development leadership institute will further provide training and development to faculty and SUC heads.

“The institute will offer programs that will help boost the capability of our faculty and SUC heads and will institute professionalism among their ranks,” according to him.

On the other hand, the SUC career system will help ensure that the selection of school heads will be based on merits.

“The SUC career system aims to make the selection process of SUC management not politicized. This would ensure that only the best and brightest will be selected to head the learning institutions,” Barnachea said.

The Executive Development Program for State Universities and Colleges (EDPS) is a powerful and practical learning opportunity for key officials of SUCs, through the delivery of executive leadership and management competencies, putting emphasis on performance excellence, strategic innovation, entrepreneurship and global competitiveness.

It seeks to develop skills of the SUC leadership to implement innovations in pursuit of the Philippine Higher Education Reform Roadmap.

The roadmap seeks to improve the efficiency of operations of SUCs through increasing student financial assistance, rationalizing the number of public higher learning institutions, align leading SUCs to international standards, modernize facilities of developing SUCs, and establish an executive development program to improve management of schools, among others.

Among the programs offered through EPDS include quality assurance, research excellence, administrative excellence and extension excellence for both senior and middle managers.

“Through EPDS, SUC Presidents and other top officials are given the opportunity to confer with each other to assess the state of higher education in the country. Among the questions that they asked include: What are the resources that we have? How can we maximize its utilization for the benefit of the teachers and students? Is our curriculum need to be developed so that our students will be able to be competitive?,” Barnachea stated.

The aim of the EPDS is to align the SUCs with international standards as it braces for ASEAN integration in 2015.

It is a six year joint government program of the DAP and CHED which is implemented in partnership with the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC).

The DAP, along with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) awarded certificates to the SUC heads in a graduation ceremony held at the Diamond Hotel in Malate, Manila Tuesday.

Present during the event were CHED Chairperson Patricia Licuanan with guest of honors Sen. Pia Cayetano and Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo, both chairpersons of the Senate and House Education Committee, respectively. (PNA)